Experimental verification of full‐scale silo structure demolition: Investigating successive column removal with finite element method and progressive collapse simulation through blast load

Abstract This article presents an experimental and numerical study of the collapse behavior of a 60‐m‐high cement silo structure under blast loading, analyzed using SAP2000 (FEM‐NDA) and LS‐DYNA (FEM‐NDA‐explicit code) models to simulate the collapse mechanism. Considering the seismic events in Kahramanmaras, Turkiye, on February 6, 2023, with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6, the necessity for the explosive demolition of hundreds of thousands of structures has underscored the urgency of rapid planning. This situation requires a particular focus on the expeditious analysis of demolition methodologies. The study includes pre‐planning stages, sudden column removals and the detonation of columns with blast loads for the controlled demolition of a full‐scale existing silo structure. To overturn the structure, the columns inside the wedge region were suddenly removed using SAP2000 nonlinear dynamic analysis (NDA) to understand the subsequent load redistribution. A study was conducted to compare the use of shell and plate elements in SAP2000 for a 1‐m‐thick wall silo. The results showed that using shell elements provided relatively closer results to real values than plate elements. For the explicit analysis part, the structural components were modeled as solid materials, and columns were detonated with blast loads. The models and actual demolition frame‐by‐frame results of the structure were compared, and the numerical model's accuracy was validated using experimental data from stationary cameras and drones, with the explicit analysis results found to be in agreement. While explicit analysis yielded results more in line with real data, SAP2000 NDA provided relatively distant results, although SAP2000‐NDA was more time‐efficient compared to explicit analysis models. However, a preliminary evaluation can be made if the characteristics of both programs are understood. The documented information on full‐scale structure demolition and findings presented in this paper will serve as a resource for future studies and provide a reference for researchers.